Vietnam’s public security forces tighten ties with European police

Brussels (VNA) – Deputy
Minister of Public Security Nguyen Van Thanh has hailed the European Police
Office (EUROPOL) as the Ministry of Public Security’s important international
partner in the fight against crimes.

He made the remarks while meeting with EUROPOL Deputy Director Oldrich Martin
in The Hague of the Netherlands on March 13.

Thanh spoke highly of EUROPOL’s anti-crime coordination efforts, especially amid
the complicated developments of security order in the world and the EU
countries in particular.

He suggested building a bilateral cooperation mechanism in the sharing of crime
information, threat appraisal, investigations into trans-national cases, and
hunt for wanted offenders.

The guest asked EUROPOL to assist
Vietnamese public security forces in capacity building and training.

Oldrich Martin affirmed that EUROPOL
always values and wants to work with Vietnam’s public security forces and law
enforcement agencies in particular.

He spoke highly of joint work between
the Vietnamese Ministry and EUROPOL member countries in the fight against
organised, trans-national, new, terror, drug, human trafficking and cyber
crimes and hunt for runaway prisoners, adding that Vietnam is actively
assisting European Union police.

He stated that EUROPOL will enhance cooperation with the ASEAN National Police
(ASEANAPOL), including the Vietnamese public security forces.

Martin wished that the Vietnamese public security forces would continue
partnering with European Union police and EUROPOL, serving as a bridge between
the two regions’ police.

The EUROPOL leader expressed his hope
that the Vietnamese Ministry and EUROPOL will discuss and sign a cooperation
agreement in fields of shared interest, which was agreed by his guest.

During a working session with Deputy
Director General of the EU Directorate General of Trade and chief of the
negotiating delegation of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) Raffaele
Mauro Petriccione earlier on March 10 in Brussels, the Vietnamese official said
he believes that the EVFTA will speed up Vietnam-EU trade.

Vietnam is ready to serve as a bridge
for EU investors to access the Southeast Asian markets, he said, adding that
the Ministry of Public Security will actively link up with EU concerned
authorities in crime prevention and control, contributing to hastening the
EVFTA signing and implementation.

Mauro Petriccione, in reply, also
expressed his wish for the prompt signing and ratification of EVFTA because EU
agencies and member states are interested in the Vietnamese market.

He lauded achievements that Vietnam
has made in economic development, human rights, and the fight against crimes,
especially those involving in the environment, which are of the EU’s concern
during the process of completing internal procedures for the EVFTA signing and
adoption.

During a working session with the
Vietnamese delegation in Brussels the same day, the European External Action
Service (EEAS)’s Director of the Southeast Asian Affairs David Daly hailed
Vietnam as one of the EU’s major partners in Southeast Asia and wished to
continue further lifting bilateral ties to a new height.

Thanh highlighted that the EU has
become a significant partner of Vietnam during the socio-economic development
and helps the country cope with rising non-traditional security challenges in
Asia.

The Vietnamese official also sought
the EU’s support for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on anti-crime
cooperation with his ministry and the sharing of experience in launching a
scheme on sending public security officers to the United Nations peacekeeping
mission.

The Vietnamese delegation from the Ministry of Public Security paid a working
visit to EU agencies and EUROPOL from March 9-13.-VNA